Identifying a similar user identifier

• US 8,886,799 B1
• Filed: 08/29/2012
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Xincheng, Liu, Jia
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US13/598,331
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 790223-229, 790217-219, 790/250
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements

Abstract

Systems and methods for identifying a similar user identifier include analyzing history data indicative of webpages visited by a set of user identifiers. A product category corresponding to a specific manufacturer or a specific product from the manufacturer may be identified using the history data and associated with the set of user identifiers. A user identifier may be identified as being similar to those in the set based in part on the user identifier also being associated with the product category.

Claims

1. A computerized method for identifying a similar user identifier comprising:

receiving, at a processing circuit, history data indicative of webpages visited by a set of user identifiers;

analyzing, by the processing circuit, the history data to identify a product category based in part on a topic of the webpages, the product category corresponding to a specific manufacturer or a specific product from the manufacturer;

associating, by the processing circuit, the product category with the user identifiers in the set;

identifying, by the processing circuit, a user identifier as being a similar user identifier to the user identifiers in the set based in part on a product category associated with the user identifier and based in part on the product category associated with the user identifiers in the set; and

providing, by the processing circuit, an indication of the similar user identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the similar user identifier is identified based in part on its product category matching the product category associated with the user identifiers in the set.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the processing circuit, a similarity weight representing the similarity between the product category associated with the user identifier and the product category associated with the user identifiers in the set, wherein the similar user identifier is identified based in part on the similarity weight.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing, by the processing circuit, the history data to identify an interest category based in part on a topic of the webpages; and

associating, by the processing circuit, the interest category with the user identifiers in the set, wherein the similar user identifier is identified based in part on an interest category associated with the user identifier and the interest category associated with the user identifiers in the set.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the product category associated with the user identifiers in the set comprises a label for the interest category associated with the user identifiers in the set.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting content based in part on the set of user identifiers; and

providing the selected content to a device associated with the similar user identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of user identifiers is selected based in part on online purchases of products made by the user identifiers, the purchased products differing from the specific product of the product category.

8. A system for identifying a similar user identifier comprising a processing circuit operable to:

receive history data indicative of webpages visited by a set of user identifiers;

analyze the history data to identify a product category based in part on a topic of the webpages, the product category corresponding to a specific manufacturer or a specific product from the manufacturer;

associate the product category with the user identifiers in the set;

identify a user identifier as being a similar user identifier to the user identifiers in the set based in part on a product category associated with the user identifier and based in part on the product category associated with the user identifiers in the set; and

provide an indication of the similar user identifier.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the similar user identifier is identified based in part on its product category matching the product category associated with the user identifiers in the set.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the processing circuit is further operable to:

generate a similarity weight representing the similarity between the product category associated with the user identifier and the product category associated with the user identifiers in the set, wherein the similar user identifier is identified based in part on the similarity weight.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the processing circuit is further operable to:

analyze the history data to identify an interest category based in part on a topic of the webpages; and

associate the interest category with the user identifiers in the set, wherein the similar user identifier is identified based in part on an interest category associated with the user identifier and the interest category associated with the user identifiers in the set.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the product category associated with the user identifiers in the set comprises a label for the interest category associated with the user identifiers in the set.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the processing circuit is further operable to:

select content based in part on the set of user identifiers; and

provide the selected content to a device associated with the similar user identifier.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the set of user identifiers is selected based in part on online purchases of products made by the user identifiers, the purchased products differing from the specific product of the product category.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having machine instructions stored therein, the instructions being executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving history data indicative of webpages visited by a set of user identifiers;

analyzing the history data to identify a product category based in part on a topic of the webpages, the product category corresponding to a specific manufacturer or a specific product from the manufacturer;

associating the product category with the user identifiers in the set;

identifying a user identifier as being a similar user identifier to the user identifiers in the set based in part on a product category associated with the user identifier and based in part on the product category associated with the user identifiers in the set; and

providing an indication of the similar user identifier.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the similar user identifier is identified based in part on its product category matching the product category associated with the user identifiers in the set.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating a similarity weight representing the similarity between the product category associated with the user identifier and the product category associated with the user identifiers in the set, wherein the similar user identifier is identified based in part on the similarity weight.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

analyzing the history data to identify an interest category based in part on a topic of the webpages; and

associating the interest category with the user identifiers in the set, wherein the similar user identifier is identified based in part on an interest category associated with the user identifier and the interest category associated with the user identifiers in the set.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

wherein the product category associated with the user identifiers in the set comprises a label for the interest category associated with the user identifiers in the set.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the set of user identifiers is selected based in part on online purchases of products made by the user identifiers, the purchased products differing from the specific product of the product category.